The Cubestock 500 was one of those quick and dirty 2-day project where the bang just far and away exceeded the buck. The occasion was an end-of-year party at the MIT Media Laboratory, and David Small and I decided to create a competition: 500 laps around the HotWheels track!

Contestants controlled the speed of their cars around the track by shouting into a classic telephone handset. The louder the sound, the faster the car (basically).

A LEGO sensor timed each lap, and the laps and speeds were projected onto a huge overhead screen. The projection was voice-responsive too, so the louder one yelled, the larger the numbers on the screen. It was fast, it was loud, and it was hugely successful.